NEWS FROM BERLIN

Expropriation is possible; Expert Commission published

“It’s a day of hope,” says Carolin Blauth from the ‘Deutsche Wohnen & co Enteignen’ campaign, “We will not stop, until this city belongs to those who live in it”. On Wednesday, the final report was published by the expert commission on socialisation of the largest property owning companies in Berlin. The report came out in support of the 2021 referendum result, during which 60% of Berliners voted for expropriation. The pressure is now mounting on the Red-Black Berlin government to implement the demands of the referendum, and with the final report confirming that not only is expropriation legal, but practical. Source: süddeutsche

Rigaer Straße: the village square in danger

Tenants in Rigaer Straße want to save their flats from being sold off. The story of the many occupied houses in this area, first from occupied to permitted squat and then on to regular tenancies, is not yet over. The flats of the three houses at the Liebigstraße 14 complex as well as Rigaer Straße 95 and 96 are now up for sale. Before the street became part of a milieu protection area in 2021, the owner, a Hamburg company, had already divided up the houses with a view to sell. The housing community does not want to let this happen, having spoken to politicians and cooperatives in the hope of finding a buyer for the all the buildings and flats within. Source: nd-aktuell

Last Generation new direct actions

The “Last Generation” drew attention to itself last Monday with a new form of protest. It involved obstructing car traffic, but this time there was no glue involved. Members of the movement obstructed the traffic at a total of four different locations in Berlin. Unlike usual, however, the climate protesters did not install a sit-in blockade or glue themselves down, but walked slowly in front of cars with a banner. Behind them, traffic was jamming, but went on flowing. The blockade actions were reported to the police around 8 am. All four actions had ended “peacefully and without disturbances”. Source: rbb

Lawsuits against Berlin over two-year wait for German citizenship

More and more people have made up their minds on resorting to lawsuits against the state of Berlin, trying to speed up their German citizenship processes. According to Tagespiegel, people in the German capital are currently waiting as long as two years to have them ready. And the pile of open cases just keeps growing – there are currently almost 30, 000 citizenship cases on file in the city. Lawsuits under such situations are possible when applications are not promptly processed. Berlin is struggling to meet the demand. A new central office to handle claims is planned to be opened next year. Source: exberliner

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Robert Sesselmann; the first AfD district administrator

The AfD candidate Robert Sesselmann has won the district council election in the Thuringian district of Sonneberg and assumes a top municipal office for the party for the first time in Germany. The 50-year-old received 52.8 per cent of the votes in the run-off election in the district in the south of Thuringia on Sunday and thus obtained the necessary absolute majority, the election administration announced on Sunday evening. The CDU candidate Jürgen Köpper. AfD national leader Tino Chrupalla cheered the result and wrote on a social media: “This was just the beginning,” Source: spiegel

Two racist attacks a day

Whether in the classroom or at work: Muslims end up fearing racist attacks. More precisely, 898 attacks (more than two a day), were recorded in the situation report on anti-Muslim racism for 2022, presented last Monday. The report is the responsibility of five civil society organisations under the leadership of CLAIM – Alliance against Islamophobia and Muslimophobia. Women in particular experience more insults and physical attacks. In addition, Muslims experience discrimination in educational institutions from kindergartens to universities – especially by teachers. The situation picture shows only a part of the situation. The organisations assume the number of unreported cases is higher. Source: taz

Pistorius wants to station 4,000 soldiers in Lithuania

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) has announced an additional of 4,000 Bundeswehr soldiers to be sent to NATO partner country Lithuania to strengthen the Organization´s eastern flank. “Germany is prepared to permanently station a robust brigade in Lithuania,” Pistorius said in Vilnius. He had agreed with his Lithuanian counterpart Arvydas Anusauskas that the reinforcement of the brigade would follow step by step “the growth of the infrastructure”. Pistorius stressed that the compatibility of the permanent deployment with NATO’s regional and operational plans, which were still being worked on, was of central importance. Source: tagesschau.

No staff for 1,719 clinics

In a report, Health Minister Lauterbach (SPD) defended the planned hospital reform and made it clear that time was pressing. He said that there was already a lack of staff such that it is not possible to keep all hospitals running. He had also commented: “We want to write the draft law over the summer, and the States should be involved. However, the matter is an urgent one: “The hospitals are slowly getting into great economic distress.” He has also stated that “we have 1,719 hospitals, for which we do not have the staff.” The hospital reform, according to Lauterback, is “at least ten years overdue”. Source: tagesschau

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Hundreds of contract workers at Tesla have to go

In recent months, Tesla has employed more than 10,000 people in Grünheide. The plant now produces thousands of cars every week. Hundreds of temporary workers, however, must leave. The company does not see this as a problem: “the Berlin-Brandenburg factory continues to be on a successful ramp-up,” the company told DPA. During the ramp-up – that is, the period between initial commissioning and full operation – temporary workers were used, as is customary in the industry, it said. “This service will continue to be needed in the future, but to a lesser extent.” Dirk Schulze, district leader of IG-Metall, criticised the layoffs. “Every job cut is painful.” Source: rbb24

Payment of outstanding wages demanded

The trade union ver.di has demanded that a Berlin aviation security company should pay outstanding wages for the month of May. Among others, employees in Berlin and especially at airports in Baden-Wuerttemberg such as Karlsruhe/Baden and Friedrichshafen are affected, Accordingly, the amounts at stake are between 1,300 euros gross for part-time workers and 3,500 euros gross for full-time workers, plus bonuses. “This causes great hardship for the employees, as they cannot meet rent payments, outstanding bills or other payment obligations,” said ver.di representative Wolfgang Pieper. ESA Luftsicherheit GmbH, the company in question, has not responded to requests until early Tuesday evening. Source: jW

Planning for new cycle paths in Berlin has stopped

Berlin’s transport senator Manja Schreiner (CDU) announced the cancellation of already planned cycle path projects with an impact on car traffic. The Greens and the Left in the House of Representatives had requested a special session of the mobility committee on the background of the planning stop. Last Tuesday it became clear that there would be no such meeting. The CDU and SPD see no reason to support the motion. Exactly how many cycle path plans will fall victim to the new “togetherness” of the transport senator is still unclear. Source: nd-aktuell

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Label suspends collaboration with Rammstein

The record company responsible for Rammstein’s marketing and promotional activities is limiting its cooperation with the band. The reason is the accusations against Till Lindemann. Several women accuse the Rammstein frontman of severe sexual violence. Last Wednesday, the public prosecutor’s office in Berlin opened an investigation against the 60-year-old singer. The rock band’s record label is now distancing itself from the musician. It says it is convinced that a “full clarification of the allegations, also by the authorities, is absolutely necessary and must also be in the interest of the entire band”. Source: zdf

Tourist dies after attack at Neuschwanstein Castle

Near the world-famous sight, a 30-year-old man injured two young women last Wednesday. The crime took place not far from the Marienbrücke – a popular meeting place for tourists due to its good view of the castle. According to the press spokesman of the public prosecutor’s office, the trio walked together along a path. The man then attacked the younger woman. When her 22-year-old companion tried to intervene, he allegedly pushed her down a ravine. Also, an attempted sexual offence may have been committed against the 21-year-old woman. The man then pushed her down the slope as well. The attacker was arrested. Source: dw

Greifswald residents vote against accommodation for refugees

The majority in Greifswald voted against container accommodations for refugees on municipal land in a referendum last Sunday. It will now be difficult for the district to accommodate the refugees. No more municipal land may be used for this purpose in the next two years. “This is a democratic decision. It goes without saying that we accept it,” Greifswald’s mayor Stefan Fassbinder (Greens) said in the evening. “The district administrator will have a harder time accommodating refugees. The result clearly shows that the topic of immigration still needs to be discussed intensively.” Source: spiegel

Schwerin remains SPD

In the run-off election for mayor of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s state capital Schwerin, the SPD incumbent Rico Badenschier prevailed on Sunday with 67.8 per cent to 32.2 per cent of the vote against the AfD candidate Leif-Erik Holm. Other democratic parties in the city can also feel a bit like winners. With the almost united stand of the democratic parties and Sunday’s election result, all that remains for Holm is that he was the first AfD politician to make it into a run-off election and thus caused a stir that extended beyond the north-east. Source: nd-aktuell

Migration increases population in Germany

Without immigration, Germany’s population would shrink. Now because of high immigration, never has Germany had so many inhabitants. The population grew significantly by 1.3 per cent or 1.1 million people in 2022. This was announced by the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden. Accordingly, a good 84.4 million people lived in the Federal Republic at the end of 2022. The proportion of foreigners in the total population increased from 13.1 per cent to 14.6 per cent. The number of people with foreign citizenship increased significantly, while the number of German citizens decreased by 0.4 per cent. Source: dw

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Policeman allegedly drugged female colleague and offered her for rape

A Berlin police officer is being investigated for a serious sexual offence. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the officer is suspected of having drugged a female colleague with knockout drops and then offering her for rape on a dating platform. The 36-year-old is no longer on duty, according to the Berlin public prosecutor’s office. He is being investigated for rape of persons incapable of resistance. Disciplinary action has already been taken against the officer, the police added. Also, according to “Bild” and “Tagesspiegel”, the 36-year-old worked for the Mobile Task Force (MEK). This special unit is used, for example, in cases of kidnapping, blackmail or organised crime. Source: rbb

Water rationing in Berlin a possibility

Due to the ongoing drought, Berlin’s Senator for the Environment, Manja Schreiner (CDU), has said that water rationing is a possibility and wants to work out a plan. The water companies, on the other hand, currently see no need for rationing. In recent years, there has always been too little rain in Berlin and the surrounding area. To be able to produce enough clean drinking water and to have enough water in the shipping lanes all year round despite the decreasing rainfall, a ‘master plan’ for water was adopted last year. In Brandenburg, water rationing already happened in the past. In Panketal near Bernau, for example, there were hose pipe bans for domestic gardens. Source: rbb

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Every third young man finds violence against women acceptable

Violence in the partnership, excessive alcohol consumption, reservations about homosexuals: a new representative study shows that a large part of men between the ages of 18 and 35 adhere to what the authors call a partly problematic “traditional understanding of roles”. The author of the study “Spannungsfeld Männlichkeit” is the children’s aid organisation Plan International Germany. According to the study, 33 percent of the men between the ages above mentioned said they found it “acceptable” if they or other men occasionally “let their hand slip” in an argument with their partner. Source: Zeit

Rammstein frontman sexual abuse allegations

A fortnight ago, Shelby Lynn from Ireland shared on social media that she had been invited backstage after the Rammstein concert in Vilnius and given a drink. After she refused to have sex with frontman Till Lindemann, he allegedly reacted harshly. She posted a picture of her body, showing bruises with no recollection of how they came about. She believes the drink was drugged. This has triggered more and more women to come forward, painting a picture of the systematic abuse of women. After this, that the concerts are taking place at all is an indictment. It shows that no-one is willing to take responsibility. Source: taz

The Nabka (non)exhibition

An exhibition on the Nakba, put together by Flüchtlingskinder im Libanon e. V. (Refugee Children in the Lebanon) and funded by the Development organisations of the Church and the Baden-Württemberg state, has been banned from being shown at the ‘Kirchentag’ (Day of the Church) currently underway in Nuremberg. Despite being praised by both scientests and experts. The organisers were permitted to set up their stand in the “Market of possibilities” section of the congress under the express condition that the exhibition was not shown. This happens while the organisers claim that Kirchentag should be a space for discussion.  Source: taz

Triumph of the semi-fascists in Thuringia

It almost happened in the Thuringian district of Sonneberg last Sunday: the AfD candidate for the post of district administrator missed the absolute majority by just 3.3 percentage points. This time, the alliance of the other parties calling for a vote in favour of the CDU candidate may once again help him to victory, although that remains uncertain. And even so, it may well lead to, in the foreseeable future, a right-wing populists winning a mayoral or district council post. The voters themselves are primarily responsible for this. Nevertheless, the other parties share responsibility, considering reactionary rhetoric and topics such as how the asylum policy is being dealt with, or even inner conflicts. Source: nd-aktuell

Accusations against the Saxon justice system

“We are shocked and stunned at how carelessly a human life is being treated here”. So reads a statement by friends of an imprisoned anti-fascist. The imprisoned man, who suffers from epilepsy and a dissociative disorder and therefore needs specific medication, had his treatment in Leipzig Prison changed by a doctor, who “arbitrarily changed the medication, completely without reason and without knowledge of his illness”. The result: a severe seizure and admission to a clinic in Borna where he then had to be intubated. Twenty-four hours later he was back in prison where his medication was changed once again. Source: nd-aktuell

NEWS FROM BERLIN

No artwashing for repressors

In the run-up to the 24th Long Book Night in Oranienstraße, Berlin, the art association Neue Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst (nGbK) is cancelling its participation. The reason: this year, the Cologne real estate investor Pandion is also at the literature festival. Pandion has been operating a cultural venue in a former car dealership on Prinzessinnenstraße for several years as part of an interim use. During the book night, Pandion will present a programme with international authors. While the organisers of the book night did not comment on the decision, some rent activists from Friedrichshain expressed their agreement. Source: taz

Around 50,000 cyclists demonstrate at rally for better protection on the road

By midday on Sunday, around 50,000 cyclists had already taken part in a rally in Berlin to demonstrate for protected cycle paths and safe school roads. During the traditional bicycle star ride in the Großer Stern, participants demanded a more decisive approach by politicians to the traffic transition, a more modern road traffic law, the quicker expansion of cycling lanes, traffic-calmed areas, and 30 km/h speed zones for cars. At the rally, the bicycle club ADFC had demanded the federal government to revise the Road Traffic Act. “We will make Germany a cycling country,” says the appeal. Source: rbb24

Police investigate officer for incitement against refugees

Berlin police are investigating an employee who allegedly incited against climate activists and refugees. According to “Tagesspiegel”, the man is not a classical policeman, but a security guard in the so-called object protection of the police, where employees work guarding government buildings, embassies and synagogues. His posts on Facebook were found to be racist and sexist, he showed enthusiasm for the Wehrmacht and the AfD, agitated against refugees and climate activists and spread conspiracy theories about Ukraine. The investigation is being conducted by the so-called Central Investigation Group (EG). This group is responsible for investigating politically motivated criminality within its own apparatus. Source: Migazin

Republica: focus this year revolves around money

“What kind of digital world do we want to live in in the future and how do we achieve this goal?” This question from Markus Beckedahl, a co-founder of Republica (proper spelling: re:publica), is just one of many that will be answered at this year’s “Conference for Net Politics and Digital Culture,” which started in Berlin on Monday and is, by its own admission, the largest festival for the digital society in Europe. But the common thread of this year’s festival will be the flow of money, hence the clear motto: “Cash.” Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), one of the lecturers of this year, might talk among other topics about the so-called digital euro. Source: nd-aktuell

NEWS FROM GERMANY

AfD as strong as SPD

If there had been a federal election last weekend, the right-wing AfD would have got 18 percent of the votes. Among the possible explanations for that is the dissatisfaction of the German citizens with the federal government: two-thirds doubt the efficacy of the “Ampel” coalition. Moreover, eight out of ten respondents think the “traffic light” parties are taking too long to solve the problems at hand. This is the result of a representative survey conducted by the opinion research institute infratest-dimap. Around 1,300 Germans eligible to vote were surveyed on 30 and 31 May 2023. Source: dw

New accusations against Till Lindemann

Several women are making new accusations against Rammstein frontman Lindemann. They describe how young women are apparently recruited specifically to have sex with him. Two women also report alleged sexual acts to which they had not consented. The two women spoke anonymously to NDR and SZ and gave their statements under oath. The reporters also have further statements from witnesses as well as numerous chat transcripts which support parts of the accusations. Both Lindemann and the band left questions from NDR and SZ about concrete accusations unanswered. Source: tagesschau

Police detain Left Party MP at demo in Leipzig

During a demonstration in Leipzig last Thursday, the police temporarily detained Juliane Nagel, a member of the Saxon parliament (Left Party). The police then said it was not an arrest: Nagel had “become part of a police operation.” The MP, who is also a city councilor in Leipzig and had registered the demonstration to mark Children’s Day, said later she was watching an action in which the police established the identities of two people. “I was standing there, a police officer first insulted or called me names. Then he pushed me out of the way. Then it occurred to him that I had allegedly assaulted him.” Source: Spiegel

Antifa because of state failure

With the sentences in the Antifa East trial against Lina E. and three other anti-fascists, the state has made an example. The defendants were not only sentenced for six bodily injuries. The verdict also applies to the anti-fascist self-image of militantly limiting the scope of action of Nazis if necessary, for example, if the state fails. Possible imitators are to be deterred. But the security authorities, from the Saxon Soko Linx to the Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD), are subject to a crucial error: the state itself has long been endangered, especially in the East. But from the right. Source: taz

Celebrities against the asylum course of the Federal Government

The list ranges from Herbert Grönemeyer to Nina Hoss: more than 50 celebrities from the arts and culture in Germany have signed an open letter against the asylum policy of the Federal Government. The non-governmental organisation #LeaveNoOneBehind started the initiative. The background to the criticism: next Thursday, the EU interior ministers want to discuss the reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). In essence, the main issue is that at least part of the asylum procedures should be shifted to Europe’s external borders in future. In the case of rejection, applicants should be deported directly to their home countries. Source: Spiegel

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Why so many votes for Erdogan in Berlin

In contrast to many other European metropolises, the old and new Turkish President Erdogan was ahead in the German capital. According to rbb columnist Cem Dalaman, Erdoğan won because his supporters, including in Berlin, are afraid of change. Dalaman goes on to say that “he [Erdogan] has successfully hammered into their heads that he cares for them like a father”. He goes on to say that the opposition was neither strong or well-organised enough. This might count for those Berliners of Turkish origin who do not feel picked up by German politics, considering as well if they have had racist experiences. He closes his article by saying “Erdogan is also the strong man for them, their protector. An image that catches. Whether we like it or not”. Source: rbb

What lies behind the Tesla data leak

Customer bank details, employee addresses, internal information on battery production: the data leak at Tesla is massive. How was this able to happen? One potential reason is Tesla’s internal organisation. Despite its size, the company is still structured more like a start-up tailored to its boss. Also, what does it mean for the Tesla factory in Grünheide? If the suspicion that Tesla’s internal IT security precautions are inadequate is confirmed, the company will have to make improvements in its German factory. Since the data leak involves data from customers across Europe, the Brandenburg data protection authority passed the case on to the Netherlands, where Tesla has its European headquarters. Source: rbb

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Nationwide raid against Last Generation

Time and again, members of the Last Generation cause a stir with their actions, demanding better climate policy. Last week there were large-scale raids in seven federal states (Hesse, Hamburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Bavaria, Berlin and Schleswig-Holstein). The justification given for the searches relates to numerous criminal charges filed since the middle of last year. In addition, the group’s homepage was seized and shut down on the instructions of the public prosecutor’s office. The accusation is the formation or support of a criminal organisation. Many climate protection activists have reacted with sharp criticism. Source: dw

When even two jobs are not enough to live on

More than 3.5 million people in Germany have more than one job. This number has more than doubled in the past 20 years. Now the general secretary of the service sector union ver.di has said that Germany is becoming a low-wage country: “At twelve euros minimum wage, one earns a little less than 2,200 euros for a 42-hour week full-time. That is only about 60 per cent of the average income in Germany and thus not enough to live on.” According to the Paritätischer Armutsbericht (Parity Poverty Report), almost 17 percent of the population in Germany were recently affected by poverty. Source: tagesschau

Ver.di: new members, new responsibilities

Whether from the Deutsche Post, the civil service or the Deutsche Bahn: strike action has been on the rise since the beginning of 2023. The DGB unions negotiate for around eleven million workers, and in times of inflation, the need for organised negotiations is particularly great. It is in this context that Ver.di has gained 100,000 new members since the beginning of the year. We can all be happy about this, ver.di especially. However, the increased power and strength that these numbers represent entail obligations. Otherwise, the trend reversal of decreasing union membership will soon be over. It is not only a question of trade unions not promising their members what they cannot deliver, but also about involving their members in decision-making processes. Source: nd-aktuell

Genç family: determined against racism

On May 29 1993 there was an arson attack on the house of the Genç family in Solingen. Two young women and three girls died. The victims were daughters, granddaughters, and a niece of Mevlüde and Durmus Genç, who immigrated to Germany in the 1970s. The attack in Solingen is one of the most serious racist attacks in post-war German history. On the 30th anniversary, high-ranking politicians and representatives of the German and Turkish state will again come to the commemoration ceremony. However, Germany still owes to all the victims of racism the wish of Mevlüde Genç for a respectful and peaceful coexistence. Source: nd-aktuell

No reason to celebrate

The Minister for the Economy, Robert Habeck (Greens), has announced a relaxation of the proposed “heating exchange law”, which plans to make to heating of house more environmentally friendly. In doing so, he is taking account of the immense public uproar and the falling poll ratings for the Greens. This is understandable – but is bad news. Homeowners who believe they will benefit from rule loosening are mistaken. Once anyone who has a new ‘eco-friendly’ gas or oil heating system installed will soon be groaning under the rising costs of fossil fuels. Only if industry is forced to change over very quickly to climate friendly heating will this become the standard and thus cheaper. Source: taz